With coronavirus being a major topic in the news recently, it is important to beware of scammers. Scammers thrive when there is a crisis, which is why we wanted to share some common scams that have been circulating recently due to the coronavirus.
Travel and Vacation Scams
Do you have travel plans? Many scammers are using the coronavirus as an excuse to send alerts to customers regarding recent flights, alerting you of a flight change, cancellations or asking you to download your recent ticket purchase. The emails will be sent from fraudulent accounts acting as Delta, American Airlines and other major airlines.
The scam email instructs you to click a link to learn more. In the link, scammers will hide malware and when you click it, the scammer will gain access to your computer and steal your sensitive personal information.
Fundraising Scams
Some scammers will impersonate big organizations such as the WHO (World Health Organization) to pocket money with their “fundraising efforts” to help those affected by the coronavirus. Although you may want to help, it is important to not fall victim to these fake fundraising efforts from unreputable sources. Be sure you are on legitimate websites before donating money.
Supplies Scams
Getting supplies is essential during the coronavirus and scammers will try to take advantage of this by offering free supplies with some sort of shipping or handling charge that the victim needs to provide their credit card number for. Not only do they steal your credit card information, but they also will pocket the money for shipping and handling as well as other fees they charged.
Financial Scams
With many Americans out of work due to the sudden hit of the coronavirus, many individuals are banking on the stimulus checks to help them. However, scammers are doing whatever they can to steal those checks.
Health Scams
The coronavirus is an infectious respiratory illness that calls for lots of medical attention. Scammers are taking advantage of the need for healthcare and they have created schemes to scam their victims. These scams include reserving a spot in line for treatment with an upfront payment, free tests for Medicare members and offers from a “Biohazard Deep Cleaning Agency” to test the level of the germs and viruses in people’s homes and calls/emails saying that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and need to pay them for antibiotics. Once purchased, the products and services never come.
If you have any questions regarding scams and other ways to take precautions, feel free to speak with one of our Member Advisors, visit us online at caminofcu.org, or give us a call at 800-835-3400.
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